Assignment

Several years ago, the editors of German ELLE came up to me and asked for a portrait spread of a very young, yet quite talented woman who had just taken her first baby steps in modeling business. I met her in my studio in Hamburg, the name of the young lady was Franziska Knuppe.

Approach

We decided to go all black and white and to work out Franziskas facial features and her slim shilouette with lighting from a high angle. We wanted to focus on her and not to distract with opulent dresses or a hughe setting, so we chose this slightly provocative but also decent jump suit that she wore for the session.

Results

After the spread in ELLE came out, Franziska became the German modeling shooting star of her time. The series is timeless and lives through her innocent, but still strong attitude. She definitely knew how to move from the very beginning. We have met over the years several times in NYC and other places and are still in contact, that's - besides the quality of the photos - another reason why this series is a very special one for me.